Rotatable antenna and antenna mast



May 14, 1957 R. M. RICK ROTATABLE ANTENNA AND ANTENNA MAST 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 15, 1955 l. III. :Il

MaY 14, 1957 R. M. RICK 2,791,909

ROTATABLE ANTENNA AND ANTENNA MAST Filed Feb. 13, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MCM aired RTATABLE ANTENNA AND ANTENNA MAST -lltichard M. Rick, Pittsburgh, Pa., assigner of one-half to David H. Amstey, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application February 13, 1953, Serial No. 336,672

Claims. (Cl. 74-89) My invention rela-tes to an improved antenna and antenna mast, and has as an object the provision of a radio and television receiving antenna and the like, which is rotatable around avertical axis.

Another object of my invention is to provide an antenna mast which is simple in construction, and which may be rotated by mechanical means to any desired position around a vertical axis.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a manually rotatable antenna and antenna mast, which can be readily attached to a chimney or other exterior structure of a house or other building, but which is readily manually rotated from inside so as to be directional and thereby provide better radio and television reception.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which: Y

Figure 1 is a front view, mainly in cross-section, of my rotatable antenna mast, and shows attached to an outer part thereof, a conventional home television receiving antenna, having conventional television twin lead wire extending to a television receiver, the latter being designated schematically in the gure by the labelled rectangle.

Figure 2 is a front view, mainly in cross-section, of the mechanical means I utilize to rotate my antenna mast and antenna to any desired position around the vertical axis of the antenna mast.

Figures 3 and 4 are front and top views, respectively, of rotating tubular member 14, shown in cross-section in Figure 1 of the drawing.

Figure 5 is a front View of a sub-assembly, comprising as the main parts thereof, tension spring 18, drive tube 16, and cable 44, shown in Figure 1 of the drawing.

Figures 6 and 7 are front and top views, respectively, of guide tube 12, shown in cross-section in Figure l of the drawing.

Figures 8 and 9 are front and top Views, respectively, of spacer tube 30, shown in cross-section in Figure 1 of the drawing.

Figures l0 and 11 are front and top views, respectively, of housing tube 2, shown in cross-section in Figure 1 of the drawing.

Referring to the ligures of the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the diiferent views, A designates my novel rotating mast and antenna structure in its entirety. Rotating mast and antenna structure A, includes housing tube 2, which is a tubular member flared to a reduced diameter at the lower end thereof. Inserted, preferably by press fit relationship, into the upper part of said housing tube 2, is a ball thrust bearing 4, said bearing comprising a rotatable upper race 6, a lower race 8, and ball bearings 10 therebetween. The lower race 8, only, of bearing 4 is inserted into the upper part of housing tube 2, leaving the upper race free to rotate. Housing tube 2 is drawn, spun or otherwise worked to a reduced diameter at the lower end thereof to receive guide tube 12 into a relatively close tit, but not Patented May 14, 1957 'ice necessarily press-fit, relationship therewith over a lower portion of the said housing tube 2 and guide tube 12. The upper end of guide tube 12 is aixed, as by welding, to the lower race 8 of bearing 4. An elongated, rotatable tube 14 is placed within guide tube 12, and is concentric with and spaced from, the inner wall of said guide tube 12. A short drive tube 16 is placed within rotatable tube 14, and is substantially concentric therewith. Drive tube 16 is spaced sufficiently from the inner wall of rotatable tube 14, so that the former is free to move axially without interference from said rotatable tube 14.

Attached near the upper end of drive tube 16 is a helically coiled tension spring 18. Tension spring 18 may be attached to drive tube 16 by any convenient means, such as by passing the hooked lower end of the spring around a dowel bar 19, which is fitted into diametrically opposed apertures in the upper end of drive In an upper part of the mast, in part of the space' between the inside of guide tube 12 and the outside of rotatable tube 14, I insert spacer tube 30. Spacer tube 30 is of such outer diameter as to have a relatively close or slightly press, t relationship with the inner diameter of rotatable upper race 6 of bearing 4. To insure against slippage of said spacer tube 30, against the inner diameter of said upper bearing race 6, I provide the former with an outer shoulder member 32, the lower surface of which shoulder member engages part of the upper surface of upper bearing race 6.

I place a compression snap ring 34 around the upper end of spacer tube 30, which snap ring serves to make rotatable tube 14 and spacer tube 30 rotate together as a unitary member when rotatable tube 14 is made to rotate about its axis.

A pin 36 is attached or inserted into drive tube 16, by any conventional means as by welding, or, as shown, by conventional threading. Said pin 36 passes through helical aperture 38 in rotatable tube 14, and also through a straight guide aperture 40 in guide tube 12.

A shoulder member 42 integral with and near the lower end of rotatable tube 14, serves to keep said rotatableY tube substantially concentrically aligned with the inner wall of guide tube 12. The outer diameter of shoulder 42 is such that it is a loose tit with the inner diameter of guide tube 12.

Attached to the lower end of drive tube 16 is llexible cable 44, which cable passes through the bottom of rotatable tube 14, extends through guide bushing 46, and at its other end is attached to indicator arm 48. Cable- 44 is drawn tight so that there is no play in the cable., Indicator arm 48 is threadedly engaged with screw 50, which screw is mounted to rotate axially upon turning crank S2, but not to move axially.

I employ weather caps 54 and 56, preferably made of thin, molded rubber, for protection against rain, ice and snow. Weather cap 54 is an inverted cup-shaped protector having a center aperture 55 at its upper end, and is placed over and around cap 23 and bushing 24, so that the upper end of tension spring 18 extends through said aperture S'. Said Weather cap 54 extends downwardly around the upper end of rotatable tube 14. Weather cap 56 is an inverted cup-shaped protector having a center aperture 57 adapted to receive a part of rotatable tube 14 therein. Weather cap 56 extends downwardly from a position on rotatable tube 14 substantially immediately above the upper end of spacer tube 30, to about 3 the .lower end of bearing .4, but on ,the outer. side of housing tube 2.

I employ a saw-tooth edge 58 on the right-hand side of aperture 40 to serve as a windlock for rotatable tubel4.

I have shown attached tothe upper outside of rotatable tube 14, a standard televisionfolded dipole receiving antenna 60 having conventional twin television leads 62 extending to the antenna terminals of a television receiver, the latter being shown schematically by the labelled rectangle.

The foregoing described device is ,designed to operate and operates in the following manner:

As set forth before, screw deviceSt) is mounted to rotate, but not to travel axially. When crank 52'is turned, indicator arm 48, which is mounted for rectilinear movement along the axis of screw 50 when said screw rotates, moves along the axis of said screw 50. When crank 52 turned so that indicator arm 48moves downwardly, cable 44 and drive tube 16 are pulled .against tension spring 18, whichspring elongates in'its axialdirection, ermitting drive tube 16 to:be lowered. When crank52 is turned in the other direction, spring18 pulls drive tube 16 upwardly. Drive tube 16 is mounted for rectilinear movement along its axis `within rotatable tube 14. Drive tube 16 is confined to ,rectilinear movement along its axis by the restraining effect of the guide slot 40 in guide tube 12, cooperating with pin 36 in drive tube 16. Guide tube 12 is held stationary by means of the weld between it and the lower race 8 of bearing 4, which lower race is secured within housing tube 2.

As drive tube 16 moves -rectilinearly along its axis, in an upward or downward direction, as the case may be, in response to turning of crank 52, pin 36 of drive tube 16 engages slot or aperture 38, helically positioned along rotatable tube 14. As the pin 36 moves along said slot, it forces rotatable tube 14 to rotate aboutits axis. As set forth above, spacer tube 30 and rotatable tube .14 will rotate as a unitary member because of their being effectively tied together by the compression snap ring 34, which snap ring is preferably made of hardened and tempered spring steel wire, Upper race 6 of bearing 4 supports, and permits the unit comprising rotatable tube 14 and spacer tube 30 to rotate freely and easily.

The helical slot 38 in rotatable cylinder 14 extends for one complete circumferential turn thereon, thereby permitting thc rotating cylinder 14 to be rotated a full 360 around its axis. It is, however, axially' elongated so as to allow it to be turned with light forces and with fineness of adjustment.

The crank and screw device shown in Figure 2 of the 5 drawing is intended to be located ori or near the television receiver. Accordingly, it is obvious that, depending upon the particular physical situations of different installations. Varying lengths of cable, perhaps over sheaves or rollers, will be used to connect indicator arm 43 and the lower end of drive tube 16. To permit compensation for the varying degrees of friction occasioned by the use of different lengths of cable, and by different physical installations, I increase or decrease the spring tension of spring 18, as may be necessary, by tensioning the spring varying amounts. Increased spring tension, to overcome higher than average cable friction installations, may be effected by pulling the spring upwardly through the aperture 22 of bushing 24, and locking the same in position by means of thumb screw 26.

After the above described device is completely installed, directional calibration is easily obtained by positioning indicator arm 43 at the north position on gauge 64 of the crank and screw device of Figure 2 of the drawing, and then. with the aid of a compass, bolting the television antenna to rotatable tube 14, so that the antenna dipole runs in a northerly and southerly direction.

I attach my novel rotatable antenna and mast structure by any conventional means to the chimney or other outer structure of a building, by applying any conventional attaching device to an intermediate portion, lengthwise, of housing tube 2.

It is obvious that many other embodiments and variations may be constructed utilizing the techniques and teachings of my inventions. I therefore desire that the following claims and terms used therein be given a broad interpretation limited only by the prior art.

I claim:

l. Means for rotating an antenna from a remote point to be directional, comprising a pair of cooperating elongated members, mounting means capable of causing one of said members to be axially movable only connected to said member and the other of said members comprising a rotatable antenna mast, the first of said members having a pin fixed therein, the second of said members having a helical groove, tensioning means biasing said axially movable member in a single axial direction, a cable attached to said axially movable member, and manually adjustable means connected to said cable for moving said cable against the bias of said tensioning means.

2. Means for rotating an antenna from la remote point to be directional, comprising -a pair of cooperating elongated members, mounting means capable of causing one of said members to be axially movable only connected to said member and the other of said members comprising a rotatable antenna mast, the rst of said members having a pin fixed therein, the second of said members having a helical groove of substantially a single turn, a spring biasing said axially movable member in a single axial direction, a cable attached to said axially movable member, and manually adjustable means connected to said cable for moving said cable against the bias of said spring.

3. Means for rotating an antenna from a remote point comprising an antifriction bearing, a stationary tubular member having an end fixed to a race of said bearing, said stationary tubular member having an axial slot, a second tubular member secured Vto the other race of said bearing and rotatable therewith, said second tubular member having a helical slot, said second tubular member projecting axially beyond said bearing, a third tubular member inside said second tubular member and axially movable with respect thereto, a pin attached to said third tubular member and extending through the slots in said first and said second tubular members, a tension spring in said second tubular member, having an end secured thereto and the other end secured to an end of said third tubular member, a cable secured to the other end of said third tubular member, said cable having an end removed from said third member adapted to be adjustably positioned against the tension of said spring.

4. Means for rotaing an antenna as defined in claim 3 but characterized further by said helical groove having substantially a single turn.

5 Means for rotating an antenna as defined in claim 3 but further characterized by said cable passing through said second tubular member and extending to a remote point for adjustment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 367,340 Fleak July 26, 1887 1,663,627 YDobson Mar. 27, 1928 1,744,548 Hersey Ian. 21, 1930 2,219,844 Lotter Oct. 29, 1940 2,236,151 Marzetti Mar. 25, 1941 2,642,754 De Conti June 23, 1953 

